BUFFALO, N.Y. — Twenty-five high school students, primarily from Western New York, dove into hands-on projects using artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, computer programming, drone technology, and the Internet of Things (IoT) during a six-week free summer program hosted by the University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Faculty from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and the Graduate School of Education created programming that immersed upcoming ninth- through 12th-graders in the latest science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills.

This was the first in a three-year program, Experiential Learning in Emerging STEM Technologies, funded by a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation. It wrapped up July 31.

Sreyasee Das Bhattacharjee, PhD, associate professor of teaching in computer science and engineering and one of the program’s organizers, says the program was an overall success.

Five instructors in computer science taught in each of their specialty areas, and graduate students served as teaching assistants for the teens participating in the program, which took place six hours a day, five days a week.

“Everything was project-based, and we received extremely positive feedback from both students and their parents,” Das Bhattacharjee says. “The program generated a lot of enthusiasm and energy.”

For instance, the students participated in a competition at UB’s Structure for Outdoor Autonomy Research, a netted structure for safe operation of autonomous and aerial vehicles.

“Most of the students were super excited because this was the first time they had operated a drone,” she says. “In this case, they got to develop and fly the drones.”

Students gained hands-on experience building Internet of Things (IoT) prototypes, integrating embedded sensors, microcontrollers and software to communicate and share data over the internet.

“I think for kids, especially, a hands-on approach is almost always more effective than just sitting and listening,”  Das Bhattacharjee adds.

The other program organizers were Wenyao Xu, PhD, professor and Carl V. Granger Endowed Chair and the director of research in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and Jinting Wu, PhD, associate professor of educational culture, policy and society in the Graduate School of Education.

“One of our core objectives was to show students that AI and IoT are the defining tools of the future across nearly every profession,” Das Bhattacharjee says. “Also, we emphasized that strong cybersecurity and secure development practices are essential to building them safely.”

She adds: “Whether you go into economics or physics or something completely non-STEM related, AI is going to be a tool and understanding how to develop it is important. We tried to give the students an idea of not only how to develop AI but also how to develop it to address an issue they are passionate about.”

Das Bhattacharjee says that they will open up the summer programs in 2027 and 2028 to new students to give more teens the chance to participate in a unique and intensive program at no cost.

“I think the program was so popular because we provided a bouquet of technologies to explore,” she says. “While many university programs focus solely on theoretical algorithms or a single domain like health care, ours examined AI from a wide range of perspectives. This allowed students to develop a holistic view of how emerging tools, including AI, IoT, and drone technology, interconnect to solve real-world problems across domains including finance and health care.”